Quote of the day

Q: Well, what do you win?

A: Usually first.

- An ice sculptor from the Yukon being interviewed on Sounds Like Canada this morning. He was describing what people often ask him, and what he likes to respond, so he gave both the Q and the A that I've labelled here.

The man you don't want to be today is...

... Steve McClaren, as the English football team officially failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championships on Wednesday. As head coach, or manager as they like to say for footy teams, McClaren will likely take the blame for the failure and may well be out of a job only a year after taking over from Sven Goren Erikkson, who I have to say I liked - although many didn't.

Say what you will about Sven, he did get England into all the relevant competitions - European Championships and World Cup, and then always past the first round.

In reading about the match on the Beeb sports site, I came across two funny quotes.

One was the answer to a question put to Peter Crouch, the tall striker for England and Liverpool.
Q: What would you be if you weren't a footballer? A: A virgin.

The other was English (and Liverpool) midfielder Steven Gerrard's response to being asked what his favorite cheese was. He said "I dunno... melted cheese."

Quote of the day

The true enemies of the novel were plot, character, setting and theme. - John Hawkes

Quoted by Rick Moody in The Atlantic, Fiction Issue, 2005.

Quote of the Day

Why move unless it improves on stillness? Why speak unless it improves on silence?

- William Hutt, noted actor, especially for his roles in Shakespeare, Canadian, who died this week.